Chapter 9: TBD

"Okay."
I place my hand on my the back of my neck. A habit of mine. And yawn.

[u] yeah hopefully we can rescue an aqquantince of mine without too much trouble[/u

"Who might this be? If you don't mind me asking anyway?"

I take a step backwards, a little stunned.
I figured they would have left other other's company by now. If I had known they we're still...

"We might have a slight problem there."
I laugh kinda nervously and put my hand in my pocket.
"Him and me have a history. And he may still have a grudge from that."

"And somewhat tortured him for his fellow rogu- spartans. Kinda pissed him off more or less."

"From what I saw of him, he might cut right through you with that knife chain thing. Or his arm sword. Special precautions had to be used in order to restrict him. Even then he escaped..."

"You say that now. Then the next thing you know your in half and laying in a pool of your own blood. No offense."

"And this conversation started because we're rescuing Dormii. Why?"

(Conner)
=I shot the admiral a confused look=
New orders? I thought Alpha Team was just being put together today.

(Jason)
Yes, but not to worry. This is more along the lines of being reassigned to a more mobile base.

(Chris)
Sorry sir, but a mobile base?

(Jason)
Yes Corporal, a mobile base. The Hyperion in fact.

(Crowe)
=I let out a low whistle of surprise=
Isn't the Hyperion the flagship of the fleet sir?

(Jason)
=With a nod, I moved to where Conner stood, in front of the group=
That it is, but unfortunately, given the number of ships we posses in our fleet, calling the Hyperion our flagship is more for moral purposes than anything else. At this point, every military vessel we have, even our flagship, is going to be put out on the frontlines, save for a token force left here for Haven's defense.

(Wierzbowski)
Okay, but still, why put us on the Hyperion? If we're meant to serve as special forces, either for recon or setting up the welcome mat, wouldn't a stealth ship, or even a frigate work better?

(Jason)
Yes, they would. If you were going to serve as a stealth team, but for the most part you won't. That said, stealth won't entirely be out of the equation, for we have a few ideas on insertion methods. Also, the Hyperion will serve as my personal ship for this war, and the assignments I have in mind for her will require your services.

"Why are we rescuing Dormii? He seemed to be able to hold his own."

(Conner)
Does that mean we have a mission, sir?

(Jason)
Yes, but it won't be for another few days. Till then, you'll be down here on the surface, learning to work as a unit.

(Crowe)
Uh, sir forgive me, but doesn't it normally take a lot longer than a few days for a group such as ourselves to properly function? Or at least work together as a team.

(Jason)
=I sighed a little=
While that is true Private, unfortunately we just don't have the time. The intel we received from one of our patrols came in several hours ago, and this is the first we've seen of the rogues in a month. If we wait any longer, they might bug out and we'll never have another chance like this again. I'm trusting all of you that based on the skills you've shown, and the marks you've received, that you can make this happen. I don't need flawless, not yet. But I do need functional.

(Chris)
=We were silent for a few seconds, no one really willing to say anything even slightly encouraging. But if the boys couldn't do it, then I sure as hell would=
You can count on us sir. We'll make it happen.

"And we're picking people up? Who might those be?"
This entire matter has interested me greatly, I couldn't help but ask these questions.
Hell, why not make it a full debrief?

Guess he doesn't want to clearify, damn.
"Well, when are we arriving?"

(Conner)
=Stunned for a few seconds at Chris' initiative, I couldn't help but follow through=
You have my word admiral, we'll see to it that we achieve cohesion.

=I followed up with a salute, and the rest of Alpha Team followed suit=

(Jason)
=There response made me grin, and I returned the salute=
Good to hear Alpha Team. Looking forward to seeing good things from you.

=My hand fell down to my side=
Now if you'll excuse me, I have other duties to attend to. Dismissed.

(Conner)
Roger that sir. Alpha Team, file out.

(Dormii)
=i woke up in my cell, I took my shirt off and went over to the barred mirror. I had a few new scars on my chest, with some of my old ones freshly bandaged. I sat down on the bed and ran my hand over my face and head. My beard was starting to grow out again. I looked at the clock, and saw there was maybe 15 minutes to "socializing," a big get together with random people from random blocks. Helps keep us from "getting ideas" while keeping us from making any plans=

lets head to the hangar

=starts walking=

bridge on private comm to zeru
{we're 15 minutes out from the rendevouz point}

ok keep me informed if anthing changes

{roger}

I start walking with him.
"The hanger eh? We're close enough to start getting ready then. Good, I can't stand waiting."
I put both my hands into my pockets.

=they continue walking which takes them just under 15 minutes to get to the hangar=

[u and we've arrived[/u]

=the troph exits slipspace shortly afterwards some good distnce from the planet zephyr=

-on comm to the squad-
we're here

(Conner)
=I stayed behind while Vasquez and the other two filed out. While I knew that achieving team cohesion was a priority, I felt I had to ask, as team leader=
Admiral, I know you're orders were for us to train as a unit, but I need to know: What exactly is this mission?

(Jason)
=My arms held behind my back, I looked the Lieutenant in the eyes=
Lieutenant, I know that by putting you in charge of Alpha Team, I'm instilling a large amount of trust in you, especially considering the risk we face of security leaks, or spies. However, I'm afraid that I cannot as of yet trust you to tell you about your mission, at least until it's well underway.

(Conner)
=I already felt the frown forming on my face=
I know that sir, but these are my men. Whether we've achieved cohesion or not, by the start of this mission, the fact remains that when we go in there, it's just us. The success of the mission, and whether or not we all come out of it alive, depends on how much I know, on how much I can properly prepare for.

(Jason)
=Dammit, but he had a point. A very good one too=
Very well Lieutenant, but I suggest you keep this to yourself. The team can't know about this until we set out.

=I decided to take a breath first before continuing=
Several hours ago, one of scouting groups came across a blip on their long-range scanners. This blip, as it turned out, was an encrypted communication beam, though we couldn't trace the destination. It's origin however, is a planet that falls outside both all known Human Space, and Covenant Space. It's within the Haystack.

(Conner)
Haystack?

(Jason)
It's the name for the massive region of space where we believe Hans and his people are hiding. The boys in intelligence gave it the name, before you ask. And it looks like we found our needle.

(Conner)
What do we know about the planet?

(Jason)
Not yet. For now, all you need to know is that you and your team are heading for the Haystack. We're sending you after the first sign of the insurgents we've had in a month.

(Simile)
=i get the comm on my helmet and reply=
Despair here, we are ready when you are. Pull up nearby and we'll head over.

=we were heading to the hanger bay once we got the call. We were all suited up and armed, ready to head immediately to the planet=

roger that

=comms the bridge crew and has them steer the troph as close to the whisper as possible without colliding=

(Burk)
=we arrive in the hanger, and then grab a Pelican for transport over to the Troph. Due to the close proximity, it wasn't a long trip. We land, and send a comm over to Zeru=
We're here. Take us away.

=the bridge crew have the ship pull away and prep the ship for a jump=

where we heading

(Burk)
Sending coordinate data now.

=i tap my comm and eye-click the data into the ship's AI's data pool=

I stand by Zeru, just waiting. I would be at attention but I don't think that would count for anything here.

(Punikav)
=i drop the ramp to the Pelican and walk out with the others. We look around and see two people looking at us, one of which has the air of captaincy. We walk over, armor clanking=
Zeru Ishtar?

=bridge crew enters the coords and the ship starts it's slipspace jump=

that would be me yes

(Punikav)
Destruction.

=i point to each of the others as I say their name=
Hopelessness, Insanity, Despair. Pleasure to meet you again.

(Punikav)
=i glance at the person standing next to Zeru=
First, who's your friend?

(Punikav)
=i hold out my hand=
Destruction. Punikav out of armor. Nice to meet you.

(Conner)
But sir, I......nevermind.
=My posture slumped a little=

(Jason)
=Seeing Conner deflate like that was somewhat depressing, but it was for his own good=
It's fine lieutenant. I understand not wanting to be kept in the dark, especially when the lives of the people your responsible for hinges on what you know. But I need you to be focused on getting your squad to work together. Otherwise, knowing where you're headed will mean next to nothing. Understood?

(Conner)
=The frown on my face dissolved into a more neutral look, as I slowly began to realize that he was right. I snapped off a salute=
Yes sir. Sorry sir, for overstepping my bounds.

(Jason)
=Returning the salute, I headed for the door to the hangar=
Quite alright Lieutenant. Now, get to work.

(Punikav)
=i shake hands with Alphonse and look back to Zeru=
Briefing room? Better to explain there.

follow me then

=starts heading to the briefing room=

(Deniv)
=we all follow Zeru, looking around the ship=
This looks remarkably like the Whisper of Life.

For starters, I'm glad my hand wasn't crushed when I shook his hand. Second. Whats up with their names?
Third. Whisper of Life? Holy shit that's Dormii and the others' ship! Forth.... where the fuck are we?
I followed Zeru and.... the other four soldiers. Not knowing where we're going.